


Scrap

by ddrabbles



Series: Cassius (OC) [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Arguing, Fist Fights, Gen, idiot young adults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 01:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20127130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddrabbles/pseuds/ddrabbles
Summary: Nero's been acting weird ever since his arm got hurt, and Cassius is worried.





	Scrap

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sakkajagga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakkajagga/gifts).

> sakkajagga asked:
> 
> "*windmill kicks open your door* I NEED THE BOY. And Nero. Getting into that tussle, that fist fight, that drag-down knock argument between those two idiots;;; (and maybe if Cass is in his feelings already he can get secretly "SJKDFL" at how physically close they end up?? irdk i honestly just need more content of The Boy™)"
> 
> Ty jagga for supporting my indulgent OC stuff :3c

Cassius breathed into his cupped palms, trying to get them warm enough to stay pliable in the cold Fortuna morning. His choice to forgo the Order’s uniform and its blessedly warm leather gloves was starting to seem dumber and dumber with every minute that passed. Sure, Nero had been avoiding everyone in uniform like the plague lately, but it wasn’t like he’d been particularly friendly to Cassius either. Ever since he and Kyrie had gotten hurt in Mitis Forest last week, Nero hadn’t said more than four words to Cass. And then there was the fact that Nero wasn’t showing up even for the drills he could manage with one arm, and how he dipped out of his room at dawn, and how he would disappear for hours at a time.

It was starting to stress Cassius out. 

The door to Nero’s bunk room opened, and out he came- not in uniform either, and the sling was still on. It took all of two seconds for Nero’s eyes to lock with Cassius’s, his eyes to widen in recognition, and for him to spin around to stomp down the other side of the hallway. Cassius gaped, hands falling from his face. That little asshole.

“Nero, wait up!” He jogged after his friend, glad that Nero at least didn’t break out into a sprint when he heard him coming. It was easy to pass him, turning to walk backwards and speak straight to his face. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Don’t got the time,” Nero flicked his hair out of his eyes and walked faster, not even sparing a sideways glance. Cassius sighed through his nose- lord, how did Credo ever deal with him?

“Going somewhere? We can talk on the way.”

Nero scoffed, rounding a corner so fast that Cassius wasn’t sure if the way their shoulders smacked together was deliberate or not. He followed behind Nero again, nearly bowling over a hooded grandmother- his apologies and steadying didn’t slow the other man down a bit.

Nero had made it to an alleyway by the time he caught up again. He was probably just walking in circles at this point, recognizing Cassius planned to follow him all the way to whatever place he had been sneaking off to recently. Cass grabbed the crook of his uninjured arm, tried to spin him around to at least_ look at him, dammit_, but Nero turned around just to smack it off, teeth bared.

“Cass, will you piss off already?” He wasn’t loud enough to alert anyone out on the street, but it was a close thing. Nero had yelled at him before- you couldn’t be friends with Nero for as long as he had without running into his temper- but there was something in Nero’s voice that made Cassius seize up defensively.

“Not until you talk to me, you asshole.” His fists balled up and he was suddenly very glad for the vague attempt at warming them. “What the hell’s wrong with you lately?”

“Quit it with the hovering, you’re not my babysitter.” Nero snapped. “I’m sick of you following me around!”

There was a good way for Cassius to handle this. Something about how he’s worried about Nero, or how he misses his best friend, or how he’ll be there if he needs him. He could talk Nero’s temper down like he sometimes does when things get this serious.

Instead, his fist connected with Nero’s nose with a horrifying thud. It shocked Cassius almost as much as it shocked Nero- they hadn’t had a fistfight since they were what, fourteen? Something in his chest screamed out for him to apologize the second his knuckles started to sting; Nero had one working arm, for fuck’s sake. And he had this wide-eyed, open mouthed look on his face that made him look about as young as the day Cass met him- up until it twisted into a snarl and Nero reared back to swing his fist straight into Cassius’s jaw.

And oh _fuck_ did that hurt. 

But at least some level of instinct started to bleed in at that point, Cassius’s head whipping back around so he could better aim the kick at Nero’s stomach. But he wasn’t fast enough, alley still swimming in his vision from the punch- Nero grabbed his ankle and yanked up and back. A less flexible man would’ve done worse; Cassius just barely managed to stay on one foot, hopping awkwardly as Nero did a valiant job of pulling into him into a split.

Cassius yanked his leg back and only succeeded in getting them both off balance, Nero just barely managing to catch himself on his hands and knees on top of him. It was through sheer luck that Cass managed to roll himself on top, straddling Nero and clutching to his collar with shaking hands. His heart was thumping so loudly he was sure Nero could hear it.

“Tell me what-” He managed. He wasn’t sure what happened next.

“_Get off of me_!” Nero growled, and all the air punched out of Cassius’s lungs as his back hit the wall. 

_Oh_, Cass thought dazedly, _I’m fucking flying. _

Cassius had always thought the whole ‘holding someone up by the throat’ thing was just some fantasy thing. But then again he always thought spiky, glowing demon arms only grew on demons, so what did he know? 

Nero had never been this strong before. He probably knew that much. He also knew that the way his whole body seemed to heat up in a distinctly embarrassing way (from being choked out by his bloody-nosed, snarling best friend) was probably something he should file away to think about later. 

“Nero,” Cassius wheezed, and Nero’s face immediately crumpled into something almost scared. Even as his feet touched the ground, Cass had to lean against the wall for support. _Don’t pass out, please don’t pass out.  
_

Nero’s hands closed tight around his arms. His voice came out panicked. “Cass, are you okay?”

“Dandy,” He deadpanned breathlessly, one hand closing over Nero’s glowing one. “This is new.”

“ ‘This is’-” Nero repeated, brow twisted until his eyes fell on his clawed fist. He swung it behind his back as if it weren’t already too late to hide it.

“Is that what you’ve been so weird about lately?” Cass coughed into his fist, straightened up just enough that Nero would stop looking at him like he expected him to keel over.

“I-” Nero slowly brought his hand back into view, flexing his fingers. “Yeah, it is.”

“You should probably get that checked out.” The joke came out remarkably flat, and Nero narrowed his eyes at Cass, mouth pulling into a tight line.

“I’m not letting anybody look at this.” He jabbed a glowing claw into Cassius’s chest. “You can’t tell anyone about this, alright? Just pretend you never saw it.”

Cassius looked at Nero’s hand, at Nero, back at his hand, and back at Nero.

“Eh, only if you let me pinky promise your freaky hand.” He shrugged.


End file.
